Family
by Kimberleg
Summary: Eledrin, the son of Legolas and Anié, is eager to prove his skills on the battlefield but he is forbidden to do so. When he goes regardless, consequences follow and true family love is shown. Contains implicit sex and injury.
1. Chapter 1

**Family**

**Author's note: **The characters of Eledrin (who has nearly but not completely come of age yet) and Anié belong to me. All the other characters, locations and names belong to J. R. R. Tolkien. We know this already, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Just so's you know, this story is set in the forest of Mirkwood (Legolas' home) **before** the War of the Ring and the Fellowship quest. Also, Anié is **not** a Mary-Sue – there is a lot of history and background to her, it is just not documented in this story.

This story takes place in roughly 48 hours.

With concentration and determination blended into one strong emotion, Eledrin had one sole goal and he focused his mind totally upon it. His concentration fell on four things: the two shining blades in the hands in front of him and the shining blades in his own. The warrior before Eledrin was also concentrated and waited for Eledrin's move.

Suddenly, almost without warning, Eledrin struck. He moved quickly and his blade lunged out, but his opponent was even quicker and before Eledrin realised it, his opponent had blocked his move and already moved to attack Eledrin. Eledrin had to think on his feet – he didn't have time to do that – and defend himself from what could be a lethal attack. Eledrin defended himself until once again, he had a split-second opportunity to attack his opponent again, which he took with lightening speed.

This went on for some time: attack, defend, defend, attack, defend, attack. Their hands moved with exceptional precision and their feet were never out of place. It was like watching ballet, only with weapons. Eventually, their blades met in mid-air and all movement stopped. Eledrin did not know if he had won or not, but he was grateful that he had a moment to breathe.

"Good" said Legolas, complimenting his son on his work.

The blades were lowered and Eledrin smiled, glad that his father recognised his efforts.

"Very good"

Eledrin nodded his head briefly in recognition and gratitude as his arms relaxed for the first time in what felt like hours, but was in fact only a moment or two. He chuckled a little to himself – that was a good training session. He turned away from his father for a moment, retrieving his breath and wiping his brow. He walked over to the wall, picked up a small goblet of cool, clean water and began to drink from it – fighting with a warrior as experienced as Legolas was hard work.

He almost choked on his mouthful as he suddenly realised he was in pain. As he swallowed, he felt a metal prick in his spine. He placed down his goblet and reached his hand back to discover what it was. A familiar cold, metal sensation met his hand. As he realised what had happened, he heard his father's voice drift slowly into his ears:

"Never loose your guard"

The blade was removed and Eledrin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Point taken" he said, a hint of intimidation in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

A large smile appeared on the Prince's face as he placed his blades back in their scabbards.

"You are a good student, Eledrin" complimented Legolas.

"You still have much work to do, but you will become a great warrior one day".

Eledrin placed his blades in his scabbards and nodded, though he was not smiling. He was so desperate to fight alongside his father – what glories would await him! He was so impressed by the skill of his father's warriors and to earn the merit and respect of his grandfather, the King Thranduil, would be a dream for him. He knew his parents wanted to protect him, but the battlefield was a field of opportunities for him, one he couldn't wait to experience.

"Just like his father" said a feminine voice from the stairway.

Eledrin turned his head immediately to where the voice had come from, as it sounded familiar, plus it had taken him by surprise. Legolas had no need to turn around – he knew perfectly well who it was. Anié leant against the wall, her beautiful eyes moving from her dearest (and only) son and her beloved husband. She had been watching them for some time, though they had not noticed. She smiled as she came down the stairway towards them.

"So … who wants to give me a go?" she asked.

"You?" said Eledrin, almost incredulously.

"Since when could you fight?"

Anié's eyebrows rose. She forgot that Eledrin had never seen her fight.

"Anié is one of the finest warriors Mirkwood has ever seen" Legolas commented, turning to face the pair. Anié smiled in gratitude for such complimentary comments.

"Mother? A warrior?!" exclaimed Eledrin.

"I'd love to see that!"

Legolas was very tempted to scold his son for such words, but Anié gave him a look which stopped him, a look that said 'no need'.

"Draw your sword" Anié commanded plainly, turning around to tie her elegant chocolate-brown hair back.

Eledrin, chuckling at the prospect of fighting his own mother, draw his two blades in an aggressive manner, spinning them in his hands as he did so.

"Not you" came his mother's retort, causing Eledrin's face to temporarily fall as he replaced his blades back in their homes.

Her eyes met Legolas' and they lingered there for a moment whilst Legolas, his face still and never changing, decided what course of action to take. As Legolas drew his blades, Anié knew he had accepted her challenge and she smiled. Legolas and Anié were a pair that suited each other perfectly – they were both of extraordinary beauty, they were loyal and they were both so strong, of body, mind and spirit. All rejoiced in their love.

Eledrin went to give her his sword, but was once again put down when she drew her own, her eyes fixed on her son's with a look of 'do not underestimate me'. She walked over to the small 'arena' and stood in position, her blades placed ready. Eledrin stood back and watched from a safe distance, eager to see how this would play out.

"Ladies first" Legolas said.

"Always the gentleman" replied Anié with mock _politesse_.

Once again, concentration and determination bound the two fighters into silence. Soon, the fighting began as Legolas defended Anié's first blow. When training Eledrin, Legolas fought considerably slower than he normally would; when with Anié, he only held back in the sense that he did not wish to kill his wife, but the speed and astonishing agility in the two elves was certainly present. Eledrin watched in amazement, mouth agape, as his mother and father battled it out, each of them showing great skill and spectacular moves of both defence and attack.

As Eledrin watched them, it seemed as though it would never end – they both seemed equally skilled – but suddenly, Legolas moved his blade in a slicing motion towards Anié and she screamed, her hair and her hand covering one side of her face. Eledrin gasped in shock and Legolas' face turned from one of complete stillness and concentration to one of great concern. He called her name and moved over to her, immediately putting down his blade.

"Are you alright?" Legolas asked as Anié gasped in pain, refusing to remove her hand from her face.

"Forgive me, Anié, I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I promise. Let me help you, Anié, let me see … I'm so sorry, my love, I …"

He suddenly stopped as Anié, in one swift movement, placed both her blades deep against his throat, her face unblemished and her keen eyes fixed on his.

"Never loose your guard" she said, slowly and with emphasis.

A small smile came across Legolas' face, knowing he had been tricked in the most wicked of fashions. A smile came across her face too as she released her husband from her grasp, their eyes never leaving each other. Eledrin applauded her.

"Mother … that was … incredible!!"

Anié bowed her head in gratitude.

"Thank you, my darling".

She was just about to walk away when she felt Legolas move behind her. She turned around in the blink of an eye and defended herself against Legolas' blow. The fighting began once more with the same extraordinary speed and precision. This, once again, went on for some time, though now the fighting was more aggressive, both of them determined not to make a mistake. They were so swift, so confident, so perfect. Eledrin knew that one of them would have to stop or falter somehow, otherwise they would be fighting here forever.

Eventually, as Legolas went to attack and Anié spun round suddenly to either block or attack (Eledrin was not sure), their blades met in mid-air and stayed there, both pressed against each other. Legolas and Anié's eyes were fixed on each other, wondering if the other one was going to move to attack. But neither of them did – neither wanted to attack the other. A different kind of force came over them both, though it was just as strong (if not stronger) than the force they had been using just previously.

Their faces moved forwards and met underneath their blades, as if under a bridge. They kissed passionately, their tongues entwining, both Elves thoroughly enjoying the sensation. Their arms slowly fell down by their sides, their hands still clutching their blades and when their lips parted for air, their foreheads rested against each other, their noses tenderly touching.

"Urgh, I hope you don't do that in battle!" said Eledrin with an almost disgusted expression on his face.

Anié smiled and held back a laugh. Legolas placed his hand on Anié's thigh and caressed it gently with his palm. He lifted her leg a little as their bodies began to move a little closer together…

"I think that's enough for today, Eledrin" Legolas stated to his son, his eyes never leaving Anié's face.

Eledrin nodded, a little disappointed that the session was over (he thoroughly enjoyed practising his sword-work with his father) but glad to leave his (what he deemed to be) rather-too-overtly-in-love parents.

"You have worked well today, Eledrin. I am very pleased with you" his father complimented him, looking up to his son and away from his wife for the first time.

Eledrin nodded and thanked his father as he quickly made his way up the stairs and towards his own chambers. After a short private talk alone, Anié and Legolas left also towards their chambers…


	2. Chapter 2

**Legolas**Anié

They say that dreams only come true in fairytales and for heroes and heroines. I am neither, yet I could never ask for anymore. With Legolas by my side, everything I could ever want is there – protection, hope, friendship, trust, warmth, love. As he wraps his strong arms around me, I feel like I am in a safe haven where no evil can reach me. And when his lips are connected with mine, I could just fly…

**She is my angel, my heaven and my star, always by my side, shining out even in the darkest hour. She is so fragile, she is like glass, and yet she is as strong and sharp as the steel of elvish blades. I never knew what woman I would take to be my wife, I did not know if I would ever even find one, but the moment I laid eyes on her, everything about her made my heart sing – the fairness of her face, the humility of her character, the tenderness of her body…**

He takes my hand – my hand slips into his quite easily - and I know in my heart I would follow him anywhere, even to the ends of the earth. Because he is of royal status, he is often called out to council meetings or to fight. My heart freezes when he is fighting and I am not, for I never know if he is danger. I fear for him, and he knows this. He always comforts me before he leaves, saying he will be alright, but the thoughts of what could happen to him are still there, the nightmares still frighten me… however, I am comforted by the memories of times we have spent together, the times when we are alone, just us. Everything around me begins to fade away and reality seems to disappear…

**Her hands slips into mine like a silken glove – her skin is wonderful to touch and her presence is most reassuring. My eyelids fall shut as I kiss her and I cannot help but sigh as I am filled to the brim with pleasure. The kisses deepen and our hands begin to travel, touching, feeling, thrilling. I press her gently against the wall, the passion between us growing with every breath we take. Between us, there is nothing but love and life. She lies beneath me, her legs wrapped around me like tree roots in the earth and I cannot take my hands off her…**

The heat, the passion, the vows of undying love, the endless sounds of wet lips against skin, the deep breaths… every sound, every touch, every word, everything thrills me. I can barely breathe, it is so overwhelming. His lips feel like feathers against my skin – not an inch of which does he leave untouched or un-kissed. He carves his path within me and as he fills me, I feel him deep inside me and the stars shine a little brighter. I hold him close to me. He can be gentle or he can be hard and fast, but either way, I love him with my heart and my life.

**We are connected, we are one. We whisper each other's names and scream in pleasure. Her body is so beautiful, so pure - so perfect. It is my feast and I fully indulge myself, tasting each inch of flesh. She is equally indulgent, teasing and thrilling me at every opportunity (which she does so very well). Our hearts and our bodies move as one and as the ultimate and final tremor of pleasure rocks through me, he held her close to me, a closeness which I adore and I will cherish forever.**


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose over the border of the forest the next morning, the trees casting their long shadows across the green floor. The wind blew gently and just occasionally, a lead would flutter and fall to the ground, rustling in the breeze and finally taking its resting place on the grass. None of the Mirkwood elves took much notice of the occasional falling leaf, for there were other sounds in the forest that morning that were not quite so naturalistic…

In Anié and Legolas' chambers, there was not a sound. Anié slept in her bed, content with dreaming of her beloved and of other thoughts and fantasies. As she slept, she rolled over and her outstretched arm fell gently onto the pillow next to hers where Legolas' head should be. Although she did not realise it, for the first time in a while, she slept alone.

Legolas had been in bed with her (and he thoroughly enjoyed it while he was there) but he was no longer. He had felt a disturbance in his home territory and as he rose to investigate it, a messenger came running to the chambers to tell him of the disturbance. Mirkwood had a defence system in which three trees in a straight line from the palace were filled with scouts and soldiers who could eliminate any enemy trying to attack their kingdom before the people themselves were threatened. The messenger hurriedly told Legolas that enemy soldiers had come from the South and had been attacking the outer defence tree. Their numbers were vast, their behaviour violent and the elvish casualties already grim. They begged for reinforcements.

Legolas told the messenger to call his men and he immediately began pulling on his warrior clothes. He wore no armour under or other his clothes, but he strapped his dark green arm guards on his wrists for shooting. As he slipped his blades into their scabbards, he turned around to take his bow and leave – he did not have time to wake Anié and alert her of his sudden departure. There was no need to. She stood there in her dressing robe, holding out his bow to him, a sorrowful yet strong expression on her face.

As he took his bow from her, he explained the situation:

"The outer tree was attacked over night, dark warriors from the South. The casualties are already high – they say reinforcements are desperately needed".

Anié nodded and understood.

"Is it not dangerous to send their Prince into the thick of the fight?"

Legolas sighed. They'd been here before.

"The scouts are saying this is the largest and most sudden attack we have had in many a year - they need all the people they can get".

"Let me go" said a surprise voice from behind.

Both their heads turned around sharply to see Eledrin standing there, dressed and ready for battle. Anié replied instantly:

"No! You are not going out there to fight!"

"You know I can fight!" he replied, his voicing rising a little in a desperate attempt to persuade his mother.

"You saw me yesterday! I've worked so hard and I've improved so much!"

"Your father cannot look after himself, his men and you without getting himself killed! Even if he could, it is too dangerous for you!"

Eledrin was becoming angry. He saw himself as a capable warrior, he was independent and he was so eager to seek glory and renown on the battlefield.

"So you let Ada risk death but not me? Or am I still a weakling in your eyes?"

The expression on Anié's face changed – some may say it changed to one of anger, others may say to one of hurt. Legolas placed his hand on Anié's shoulder before walking up to Eledrin.

"Eledrin, my son … you are right. You can fight and since you started training, you have improved much. You will be a great warrior one day".

Legolas continued before Eledrin could interrupt.

"But Anié is right also – when we train, it is only you and I. On the battlefield, the numbers are overwhelming and I cannot promise I will be there to save you. One day soon, you will fight alongside me and you will fight well, but not yet. I cannot lose you."

Eledrin's eyes fell to the floor and he was silent.

"Do you understand?" Legolas asked, remaining perfectly calm.

Eledrin stood still for a moment, then threw his bow angrily to the floor before storming back to his chambers, his heart fallen and his hopes crushed. Legolas sighed before turning back to Anié.

"Be careful" she said tenderly, concern and hints of sadness creeping into her voice.

Legolas smiled – "Aren't I always?" he jested.

"Please…" she begged.

The smile faded on Legolas' face, but not so much that it disappeared. Legolas knew perfectly well Anié didn't like him going off to fight – not because she did not think he could or because she felt alone, but because in her heart, she knew she could not bear to lose him, in the same way that he could not lose her.

He walked up to her and held her hands in comfort. He placed a tender kiss on her knuckles before Anié placed her slender hands on the sides of his face and pulled him towards her for a deep, passionate kiss. It couldn't last for too long – Legolas was deeply concerned about his men, as he knew they awaited his arrival – so soon, their lips parted but they still remained close.

"I will be, I promise" Legolas replied, smiling reassuringly.

She smiled in return and nodded her head, equally reassuringly. He gave her one last quick kiss before walking towards the Great Hall to meet his men. As Anié watched him go, she prayed in the depths of her heart that that was not the last time she would see him go.


	4. Chapter 4

Silence.

All is still.

Darkness growing.

Gestures of encouragement.

Captains amongst men.

Words of hope.

Marching approaches.

Fear.

"Bows at the ready!"

Growls.

"Archers!"

Courage.

'It's not fair. I am perfectly able to fight. "Oh Eledrin, you can't fight out there because they'll try and kill you" … you say that as if I don't already know! What else would they want to do to me, give me a hug?! I just want to show them how good I am and how well I've progressed … not that they care. They probably just don't want to be shown up by their own son! I'll probably never be as good as them anyway – at least not at this rate. How am I supposed to improve and gain experience if I'm never given the chance? It's not fair!'

These were the thoughts that ran through Eledrin's mind as he sat on his bed, alone in his chambers. He still wore his armour (or what armour he had) and he fingered the edge of his blade with his thumb as he pondered to himself. He didn't know exactly why he was so desperate to fight – maybe it was because of the promise of glory on the battlefield, the rush of adrenaline, the camaraderie, eagerness to show off his skill, he didn't know, he just knew that he wanted to and was so frustrated that his mother wouldn't let him fight in what he deemed to be his best opportunity.

He hadn't bothered to go back and retrieve his bow from where he had thrown it. He didn't want to run the risk of being seen or spoken to by anyone – he just wanted to be alone. It was not necessary for him to go and find it himself, for someone had brought it for him. The end of his bow appeared in front of his eyes and he slowly lifted his dark eyes to see who was holding it. Elves were most protective of their weapons and did not like them to be too often in the hands of others.

As he saw who it was, the grim expression on his face did not change but remained like stone. He took his bow swiftly from her without a word of thanks and placed it on his lap. She sighed silently to herself – she expected him to act like this, to react in this way. She sat on his bed next to him and felt him edge away a little bit- he really didn't feel like talking to her.

She was neither angry nor impatient, she understood completely, so she spoke slowly, calmly and in a relaxed manner, occasionally pausing:

"I had a dream, a very long time ago, long before you were born. It was a dream that Legolas and I would walk through the forest together, in times of peace and happiness; that if we ever had to fight, we would always fight well, have little competitions to see who would kill the most …"

She chuckled, but her smile then faded again.

"…and we would always return. That I would be able to impress your father with my fighting skills and that we would fight, side by side, content in the glory and praises we received. To the unknowing eye, it seems like a blissful life. But war is not so rewarding, nor is it glorious."

"I remember when your father was training me, I was just like you, only I'm sure you learn quicker than I ever did! I remember the time I slit his wrists and nearly cut his hands off! I was terrified!!"

She laughed.

"Intentionally?" asked Eledrin.

She laughed again.

"No, no, not intentionally – it was only an accident".

She sighed, glad she had lightened the mood, even if only briefly and temporarily. She remained thoughtful as she continued speaking:

"One time I was fighting – some years ago now – it was not an ambush, it was not a surprise attack, just a normal battle … I assumed it would be easy, same as always … but when I felt the cold bite of the orc blade in my side, the pain, and when I saw the blood coat my hand … I've never been so scared in my life. I was too far from here to simply walk back and I certainly couldn't run for help. Then someone shot my shoulder from behind and I thought I was finished. I managed to crawl out of harm's way … into the forest, I remember – I lay under a tree. I don't know how much blood I lost or for how long I was unconscious on the battlefield for, but someone managed to get word through to your father about what had happened and when I woke up, I was in the healing houses. I don't know how I managed to escape with my life but I did, and only just. As soon as my eyes focused, I felt Legolas hold me – he held me so tightly, as if he were scared I would fall into a bottomless pit if he let go. When he eventually let go, he looked me straight in the eyes and kept asking me questions – was I in pain, did I need anything, did I want anything, was there anything he could do for me; he was so afraid … that was the only time I have ever seen your father cry".

She saw his eyes widen ever so slightly as she placed her hand on his knee.

"War affects everybody, not just those who fight".

The coldness had left Eledrin's eyes and his mood had become very nostalgic.

"Eledrin, you must understand that your father and I only wish to protect you … and I know you know this already", she added before Eledrin had a chance to interrupt, "but the thing is you don't understand – you're too young to understand. Your father and I would gladly give our lives to save yours, but if anything happened to you, if anyone took you away from us, I don't know what your father and I would do".

She whispered to herself – "We couldn't suffer like that again".

Eledrin looked sideways unobtrusively at his mother and saw deep grief engraved in her eyes and his heart was confused.

"It is not that we do not want you to fight" she continued in a more audible volume, "it is simply…"

"I know" said Eledrin in a hard tone but with no anger in his voice.

Anié's head lifted itself and looked sideways sharply at her son.

"Then you understand why I said no to you today?" she asked tenderly.

Eledrin lowered his eyes and slowly nodded his head.


	5. Chapter 5

All was silent in the Great Hall. Occasionally, men wandered through, whispering to each other about the recent sudden attack, but no-one else dared to speak. There was nothing to speak about in these dark times. All the women, whose wives had gone to fight, were the quietest. They knew perfectly well how easily they could become widows and deep within their hearts, they prepared themselves (if you can prepare yourself for such things) for the fact that their loved ones may not come home again. Such was the reality of war, and still is.

Anié was amongst these women, though she remained optimistic and never let go of the belief that Legolas would return home safe and sound, as he always did. Because she shared the same suffering and thoughts as the other women left behind, she often made it her duty to walk around and speak to them. Some of them felt rather uncomfortable talking to her, especially on such personal issues (they did not speak to royalty often (if ever), so they were not quite sure as how to react). Others understood that she was one of them and they would speak, converse and jest for some time. Some of them even became friends and people she would speak with on a regular basis. One of these was a woman called Cúrina, a woman not very high in status and certainly not a member of the court or council, but a respected and very kind woman. Her husband, Baros, was a fighter in the King's army and after the friendship between Anié and Cúrina had formed, Legolas and Baros too became friends, as Baros fought under the leadership of the Prince.

Soon, the silence began to be broken as warriors trooped back in the Palace. Thranduil emerged from his chambers and stood by his throne to observe how many of his men returned, of which he hoped the numbers would be high, though everyone knew these were not merely Orcs or another kind of mindless beast, these were dark creatures from the evil realm in the south of Mirkwood – very few survived such attacks, especially if taken by surprise.

No warrior walked in with his head held high in triumph. They either walked in paler than they once were, glad to be alive and clearly exhausted after such an extensive period of fighting, others walked clutching to others for support, covered in blood and releasing the occasional gasp of intense pain. Those injured were immediately taken to the Elven healers, who began their work on stemming the blood flow and making them as comfortable as possible. Only serious, life-threatening cases were taken to the houses of healing, however, otherwise the house would be over-flowing with people too quickly. Those with bearable wounds – however painful they may be – dealt with their injuries themselves, occasionally with the help of other women and maids.

Anié's eyes scanned through the masses of soldiers returning from the fight. Everyone had returned – whether they had won or not, everyone had retreated. But Legolas was not among them. She stood in the middle of the Great Hall, her heart filled with hope as she watched and waited for her love to appear before her.

"Anié!" cried a voice from behind her.

She span round only to see that it was not Legolas who had called her, but Cúrina, with Baros leaning against her shoulder. Anié was disappointed that it was not Legolas, but she was glad to see that Baros had returned safely, even though he did not seem able to walk properly by himself.

"Are you well?" Anié asked.

"We are fine, thank you" Cúrina replied.

Anié's eyes fell to Baros' ankle. She asked what he had done to it.

"An arrow struck it" Baros replied simply. He seemed to want to go to his chambers and rest more than anything. He certainly seemed a little paler than usually.

Anié nodded: "Make sure it gets seen to".

Cúrina nodded. She smiled a smile that never left her face – she was so grateful that her husband had returned home safe and alive. Anié could not yet smile the same smile.

"Tell me" she asked them, "have you seen Legolas?"

Cúrina's face fell. In her gratitude and happiness, she had forgotten that Anié had still not been reunited with Legolas. She thought hard for a moment and then sadly shook her head. Anié turned to Baros, her last hope – he must have seen him, he was fighting with him.

"He saw him on the battlefield, but then we were separated - I haven't seen him since".

Anié nodded, remaining strong and stern as ever. She thanked them both, wished them well and let them go. She remained where she was and turned her eyes back to the magical doors guarding the doors, scanning through the soldiers still wandering in. There were fewer coming in now. Anié remained calm, but she could not help her heart beating considerably faster than before. Soon, the last man entered the palace and the doors closed. All the men had come back, there was no-one left. If Legolas had not come back with the rest of the men (and he should have been one of the first through those doors), there was only one other place he could be, and that meant only one thing…

Like a startled deer, she ran with both elegance and sudden speed. Within seconds, she had arrived at the Healing Houses. There were many there, some with minor injuries, some with much more severe wounds being hurriedly seen to by healers, many covered in both Elf and black blood. Her eyes scanned the patients but Legolas was nowhere to be seen. So many times Legolas had left to fight and so many times he had returned; so many times he had smiled as he entered the Great Hall and wrapped his comforting arms around her – how she longed for that sensation once again.

The doctor, who happened to be a good friend of Anié and Legolas, saw her standing there and he knew for whom she searched. He left the nurses to tend the man he had been briefly standing over and walked swiftly over to her. Before she had a chance to greet him, he said:

"I know for whom you search"

"He is here?" she asked desperately, hoping with all her heart that the answer was 'yes' – even if he was hurt, at least she would know where he was.

He nodded briefly.

"Follow me".

He turned and quickly worked off in the opposite direction. Anié followed at his heels.

"I waited for him at the doors – he never came through!"

"He was brought back before the others, as royalty always are in battle, unless they refuse to leave" he replied.

"According to the men, the Prince stayed longer than he should have done. But the wound is not life-threatening – serious, but not life-threatening. If he was able to continue fighting, he will be able to live".

Anié exhaled a deep sigh of relief. It was the best news she could possibly have heard from the doctor, given the circumstances. She walked with him, desperate to see that her beloved husband and Prince was truly alright. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she ran to his side, unable to stop the tears from falling down her face.

Eledrin, on the other hand, was not allowed to see his father – he was told by the doctor to wait outside until Anié had finished speaking with him and when the doctors were completely finished with their patient. Again, dark thoughts filled his mind as he felt once again undermined and treated like a child, but the concern in his heart for the safety and well-being of his father overcame him more, so he simply sat and waited, hoping for the best; so far, the doctors had told him nothing. Legolas could already be dead for all he knew.

Eventually, Anié came out into the corridor where Eledrin was waiting. Eledrin immediately stood up when he saw her, eager for news. It was clear she had been crying (though not too heavily, for she was a strong woman) as she walked over to him and embraced him tenderly.

After some time, she released him whilst telling him all she had learnt:

"Your father is well. His life is in no danger. He is still very sore and I do not know when he will be allowed to leave the healing wards … tonight, if we're lucky. There were larger numbers than expected … apparently, the men became rather surrounded – it was like an ambush. As Legolas tried to fight his way through the swarms to reach some of his men, his leg was cut. He's been sliced from his hip to his knee (she indicated the length of the cut on her own leg and Eledrin hissed dramatically, imagining how painful that must have been) and although he has lost a lot of blood and he is still in some pain … he'll be alright".

Eledrin sighed in relief and both of them smiled at her final comment, glad that the situation had not turned out any worse. When Eledrin finally saw Legolas as he was preparing to leave, he saw his right leg was tightly bandaged up, still a little bloody and although he could just stand on it, he was still limping. The wound was deep and painful and had already been stitched up. A few hours later, Legolas hobbled carefully out of the healing houses with the aid of his wife, his son and some guards and he rested in his own chambers for the night. He was laid on the bed and Anié left briefly to fetch some clean bandages and a bowl of fresh water.

"I'm glad I wasn't fighting out there today" Eledrin murmured to his father once Anié had gone.

"If you couldn't come back unscathed, there would have been no hope for me!"

Legolas smiled and chuckled quietly.

"It was a large and fierce battle today, my son. I am glad you were not involved or hurt".

Eledrin could see his father needed his rest – plus Anié had just returned – so he soon left. Silence filled the room. Once Eledrin had gone, Anié shut the door firmly behind her and sat on the side of the bed next to Legolas. Taking his bandages off slowly and carefully, she followed the doctor's instructions in her mind and very carefully and gently washed Legolas' wound. Occasionally, Legolas would wince slightly and breathe in a little heavier – the wound was still quite sensitive – but otherwise, he showed no sign of discomfort. This was by no means the first (or the last) horrific wound Anié had seen, but her heart still went cold as images flickered through her mind of how much worse the wound and its consequences could have been.

"You need not think such morbid thoughts" Legolas' gentle voice spoke through her mind, no sound being made from his lips.

As she finished washing, she placed the cloth back in the bowl which was now tinged with scarlet and slowly lifted her eyes to see Legolas' fixed on hers. The smile in his face was barely visible – in fact, one may not even call it a smile – but his expression was just enough to comfort and to show reassurance.

Anié sighed through her nose and placed the bowl on the floor out of the way. Although she was relieved in her heart that Legolas was alright (or as alright as he possibly could be), she could not smile – the fear and grief in her heart was stronger, much though she tried to overwhelm it. She also tried to not show it in front of Legolas – she tried to be strong and rock-like, like the other men – but Legolas knew how she felt. He felt the same if ever she was hurt.

With caution, he pushed up on his hands and sat up so he was closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she welcomed the gesture gladly, holding him possessively. He stroked her hair and whispered "I know" in her ears. When eventually they let go of each other, his fingers ran through her hair as he leant forwards, their noses touching and rubbing tenderly. They kissed deeply for what seemed like hours.


	6. Chapter 6

The very next morning, when the sun had only just risen, Anié had already begun gearing herself up for battle. She fought in gear very similar to Legolas – no armour, just wrist guards for shooting and fighting uniform; that is, clothing that is suitable and practical for the battlefield and that is fairly tough so it can withstand a fall. They also both fought with blades as well as bow and arrows.

Legolas lay resting in the bed he had been laid in the previous night. Anié had stayed with him that night, of course, but very early that morning, they had spoken together about how Anié would be assigned to take Legolas' place. Legolas warned her of everything that was out there – about how the creatures they were fighting were a new threat, a force they had never seen or had to combat before, a legion that had no doubt come from the south. Anié understood everything that her husband told her and he wished her all the strength and protection she would need that day.

When Eledrin rose that morning, he saw his mother speaking with scouts and other soldiers who had fought the previous day and Eledrin knew that she was leaving to fight – and that she was not going to bring him with her. As soon as Anié turned and saw her son standing there, he walked towards her, an expression on his face showing his eagerness and desperation to fight.

"Let me take _Ada_'s place" he stated plainly.

Anié and Legolas could hear the eagerness in his voice, but the word 'no' leapt immediately to her mind. Eledrin could already see the answer in her eyes.

"Eledrin, I know you can fight and fight well…"

"Do not give me excuses" he interrupted, "just let me fight – please! Let me show you and all the others soldier what I can do!"

"We all know what you are capable of, my son, but none of us want to you to show us what you do as you lie on the ground, bleeding to death".

"At least let me stand by your side" Eledrin pleaded. He was not going to give up easily.

Their next few words came in quick succession:

"No"

"Please".

"No. You will stay and look after your father."

"_Ada_ can look after himself"

"No"

"Mother…"

"That is my final word"

"Why won't you…"

"Eledrin!"

Her fierce and strong eyes turned on her son and she placed her hands firmly on his shoulders. Their eyes did not part for quite some time. Her voice was firm, but not angry – she understood her son, she simply had to restrain himself.

"Eledrin, do you remember the conversation we had the other day?"

Eledrin went to speak, but Anié did not allow him to.

"Remember what I said and think about it carefully. If you come and fight with me today, one of us will end up seriously hurt, because I cannot look after myself, my men and you. To fight on a scale such as this, you need to be able to fend for yourself, and you simply cannot do that yet! You can fight well, but you are not a warrior! You must remember that. Do not think yourself greater than you are, for I promise you, you will not feel so great when you are dead".

She paused, hoping she had not been too harsh. Her voice as she spoke now was filled with emotion and feeling.

"I cannot see you hurt like Legolas – it cannot loose you".

She stared into his eyes, her voice now perfectly balanced between firmness and feeling.

"Promise me you will stay with your father".

For the first time during the conversation, Eledrin's eyes turned from his mother and looked at the floor, filled with resignation and thought.

"Promise me!" Anié begged.

Eventually, after an extended silence, Eledrin slowly and grudgingly nodded his head. Anié sighed in relief to herself and clapped him on the shoulder in a soldier-like fashion before walking off swiftly towards where the other men would be waiting for her.

Eledrin remained in his room for some time, knowing that it was now too late to join the warriors to fight – they would already be on the battlefield by now. He didn't go and see his father – he knew _Ada_ was fine and he didn't feel in the mood for being with anyone. Minutes felt like hours – he didn't know how long he sat in silence, brooding by himself – but eventually, he heard swift footsteps running through the corridors and caught brief snatches of conversations between soldiers. He listened as hard as he could, though little of interest could be heard. When he left his room to have a little walk around (though more to hear some interesting news), he saw the occasional injured soldier being helped or sometimes carried to the Healing Houses, though Mirkwood casualties were normally fairly small; intruders were never used to the forest, so Mirkwoodorians could use its shadows to their advantage.

Of what he did hear, however, it seemed that the fighting was not taking place in the forest itself, but in an open plain not far from the palace itself. If this was true, it surprised Eledrin, as it must have meant that the Mirkwood soldiers had been forced backwards quite a way. How he'd love to help, he thought…

Then chance came to Eledrin: he stopped at the corner of a corridor, listening to a conversation between two archers who had just come in from the battlefield.

"Feredir, _mellon nîn_, how goes things?"

"This is a big one, Rincavornon" Feredir replied, clapping his comrade on the shoulder.

"This is the biggest assault we've faced in a long time. Must have come from the South too – some of the creatures they're bringing up just aren't natural."

"How many casualties?"

"No idea, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's more than usual"

"Let's hope not"

"True, my friend. Very true"

"What's more, we haven't got the Prince on our side, fighting with us"

"You're right – we've lost our best archer!"

"At least we've got you, eh Feredir?" Rincavornon laughed.

"Not as a replacement for the Prince!!" replied Feredir.

"Though I hear his son is quite good … what's his name … Eledrin"

"I'm not surprised, having Prince Legolas as his teacher!"

"Same men would pay good money for that!"

"Why isn't he fighting? Eledrin, I mean"

"Wouldn't know. They probably want to protect him".

A moment of silence fell between the two men as Rincavornon took a deep swig of the contents of his flask.

"What we wouldn't give for reinforcements…" he stated before taking a few more gulps.

That was the magic word for Eledrin. As the two men wandered off back to rejoin the fighting where they were required, Eledrin was convinced. It almost felt like it was his destiny. They needed more men, they'd lost their greatest archer, they themselves felt he was capable of fighting, and the only person who had said 'no' to him was his mother! She didn't even need to know, so long as he came back alive… Without another second's thought, he raced back to his room, grabbed what little armour he felt he needed and his sword and ran full-pelt towards the battlefield.

He left the Mirkwood palace by a side entrance and stealthily walked round until he arrived at where the fighting was taking place. Eledrin had never seen a battlefield before and he couldn't quite describe his reaction to it: he was startled, shocked, amazed, awed, and although a little voice in the back of his mind was telling him that perhaps he should return back inside, he refused to admit fear. He couldn't see anyone he recognised, but he could see a few soldiers being surrounded by swarms of beasts that Eledrin could only have imagined in his nightmares. And so, clasping his long thin sword tightly in his hand, he ran out with the speed of a frightened deer and entered the fray.

Any beast he came into contact with, he attacked with great ferocity and astonishing speed. Sometimes he would be taken by surprise and would be knocked down, surrounded or receive a minor injury, but each time he would fight back, determined not to be injured like his father or killed in his first battle.

This went on for some time – Eledrin almost began to feel weary of so much aggressive fighting – until eventually, the beasts began to spread out a little, some even fleeing into the forest. Eledrin sighed with relief – at last they were falling back! He almost began to cheer, until he heard thudding. The ground shook beneath his feet and he prepared himself to fight once again, looking around anxiously for any sign of what this new creature would be. The thudding grew closer, louder and deeper.

Out of the blackness of the forest, three enormous troll-like creatures appeared, growling and snarling in a foul and terrifying way. Eledrin stared upwards, his jaw comfortably nestled in the grass by his feet. He was soon shaken out of his state, however, when the warriors on the ground were told to quickly move back so that the archers could riddle the trolls with arrows, which they did with superb skill.

As the sword warriors stood well out of the way, one of the troll-like creatures, whilst shrieking in pain and intimidation at the sudden onslaught of arrows, turned his head straight towards Eledrin. Whether he knew he was royalty or not, it had found its target and would not cease until it had claimed this little man for his own. Eledrin's eyes widened; he could almost read the thoughts in the beast's mind through its eyes – it was coming for him and him alone.

The beast roared and began thundering towards Eledrin at a terrifying speed, considering its weight and size. Eledrin readied himself for battle, but had no idea how he was going to possible defeat such a huge beast. The troll-like 'thing' lifted its almighty sword (far greater, thicker and stronger than any sword Eledrin had ever seen) and bellowed once again before swinging it down towards Eledrin. Eledrin considered attempting to block the blow, but then realised a split second before it was too late that that would be a foolish idea, and he quickly rolled out of the way instead. The troll reacted quickly and smashed his sword severally times into the ground in a frantic attempt to destroy the Elf now equally frantically crawling backwards to avoid being cut in half. He stayed on the ground, rolling around and crawling out of the way, until the troll tried to stand on him and squash him into the earth, at which point he launched himself to his feet and decided to turn aggressive.

He realised that he was much nimbler and could move considerably quicker than this creature, and so he decided to run around it in order to disorientate it. He managed to slice its leg several times and even managed to stab it in the back a few times, much to the annoyance of the beast. Unfortunately, the creature thrust its leg backwards, causing Eledrin to fly several feet backwards. Some of the soldiers saw the Prince's son on the ground and wanted to help, but none had the bravery to confront the beast. Save one…

Eledrin lay a little dazed for a moment, but as he saw the troll roar and stomp purposefully towards him in a threatening and terrifying manner, his eyes widened and he frantically tried to move himself out of the way in any way he could. His legs ached, his back was bruised and his arms were tired, but he was desperate to survive. The troll linked its two enormous hands together and threw them consistently onto the ground like a hammer, creating craters in the earth and coming dangerously close to Eledrin. He was in way over his head – there was no way he was going to be able to kill this thing and he didn't have any time or opportunity to even stand up, let alone try and fight. He was doomed, and as he rolled over from dodging yet enough troll-fist and saw its giant hands coming down on him once more, he almost began to accept defeat…

The troll suddenly reared backwards, clutching its face as no less than two arrows had embedded themselves in its face, one cutting its eye. Someone, just behind Eledrin, rode up swiftly on horseback and leapt off, unsheathing their swords as they approached the beast. The soldier stood still like glass and waited for the right moment to strike. The beast by now had forgotten its hatred for the young boy and turned its wrath on the new soldier standing before it. The beast roared in an attempt to intimidate its new opponent, but to no avail – the soldier still did not move or strike. The beast then tried a new tactic – ferocious and desperate violence. It swung its trunk-sized arms towards the Mirkwoodorian, who suddenly moved with amazing grace, speed and agility, creating deep slits in the troll's arms as it did so. Once again, Eledrin's mouth was agape as he was stunned at his mother's skill.

As the troll grew more aggressive, Anié made her move: she darted off to the right and ran swiftly as a deer round to the back of the troll. Before the troll realised she had left its sight, he buried her blades into its back and began to climb. The troll cried in agony as she rose up his spine, metal piercing his hard, thick flesh. She reached the back of its neck and rose her arm to deliver a killing blow to its jugular, but the troll had had enough. It reached its hand up, grabbed her and began to crush her in its palm. Their eyes met, both desperate to destroy the other, both desperate to survive.

The troll appeared to be a little more sensitive than it outwardly looked. Anié slit its wrist and it dropped her immediately, blood spurting everywhere as it cried loudly. Anié landed on his feet, took half a second to clutch her chest in pain, then resumed her original position. Eledrin moved to ask his mother if she was alright and possibly fight with her, but before he had even put his foot forward, she was off again. Within minutes, the troll was bleeding everywhere and many holes punctured its body. Eventually, the blood loss was too great and its injuries too severe, and as a final blow, Anié threw her blade straight into its neck. The troll gargled, staggered and finally fell to the floor with a gigantic thud, lifeless. Anié remained still as stone, dark-coloured blood dripping from her blade as crowds of soldiers cheered and applauded her achievement.

But Anié refused all praise and received no content feeling from her achievement. Her eyes remained shut and her face emotionless – if anything, it was sad, a mixture of anger and disappointment. As Eledrin looked around, he noticed that all the other creatures from the South had either retreated or been killed. He smiled gratefully and was delighted for his mother:

"Mother … that was amazing! You…"

He had moved forward with a huge smile on his face, but it soon faded as he received no recognition from his mother. He had hoped, deep inside his heart, for his mother to congratulate him on his fighting or to give him at least some form of compliment, but the look on his face showed him that this was no going to happen. She wiped the excess troll blood off onto her clothing and walked back to the palace, passing Eledrin with no eye contact and without a single word. Eledrin considered calling after his mother, but knew there was little point. He had disobeyed her and he knew it. His eyes remained fixed on his mother's back, both in admiration and a little guilt. As he thought to himself, he heard an almighty cry from a horse and the stampeding of hooves.

Everything happened within a few seconds: he turned to his right and saw to his horror that one dark warrior had taken the horse that Anié had used and was now charging straight towards him, clasping the largest, longest and sharpest spear Eledrin had ever seen. Less than five seconds needed to pass before it hit Eledrin and in that time, Eledrin gasped and froze – he had no time to react. He considered drawing his sword. He also considered running. Several things ran through his mind, but none of them leading to action.

His eyes were fixed on the rider coming towards him. Suddenly, at the instant that the rider was going to hit him, Anié launched into the side of Eledrin, throwing him to the floor. But Anié did not fall with him. She flew sideways as the spear took her away from her son. The last thing Eledrin saw of his mother was her body clutching onto the front of the horse, her face clenched tight in agony, and a long line of blood disappear into the forest.


	7. Chapter 7

The battlefield was now silent and practically deserted (the fighting was coming to a close for a day – the Mirkwood soldiers had fought them back far enough by now) and Eledrin lay on the earth, stunned. His eyes were wide as they stared into the forest. Nothing moved, not even a branch in the wind. All was silent and everything was completely still. Eventually, slowly and silently like a timid mouse terrified of the outside world, Eledrin pushed himself to his feet and walked cautiously into the forest.

He had no idea how far into the forest Anié had been taken by the rider, but he journeyed deep into it and looked around everywhere, his eyes searching desperately for any sign of where his mother might be. His hands were shaking with anticipation and his whole body was trembling with fear and terrifying dread. He tried to call out for his mother, but no sound passed his lips.

As he continued to walk, he saw the occasional smear of blood, a hoof-print and broken twigs and scattered leaves on the ground, showing the path which the horse and its rider had taken. This path seemed to go on forever – perhaps it was just because Eledrin was secretly terribly afraid of what he would find, or because he didn't know what dangers awaited him in this part of the forest, he didn't know.

Silence drummed in his ears and he was now creeping rather than walking. He stopped for a moment and looked up, intimidated by the extraordinary height of the trees around him, their branches swaying gently way above his head. He thought to himself: 'Now stay calm, Eledrin – panicking won't help you now. Just follow the trail, keep looking, and … she's gonna kill me, if she's not already dead … don't think things like that! Run back – run back and call for help. The other soldiers will help you; you're the Prince's son, after all, and their Princess is in danger…'

"Eledrin" a voice croaked.

Eledrin stopped dead in his tracks, frozen, his eyes round and wide in terror like those of a child after having woken from a nightmare and his breathing became stilted, deep and heavy. Perhaps he was just hearing things?

"Eledrin" the voice called again, showing signs of great pain and weakness.

The voice was to his left. Eledrin could see out of the corner of his eye a large tree with a thick trunk.

"Do not turn around" the voice commanded him quietly yet firmly.

Eledrin shut his eyes briefly and swallowed heavily. Sweat covered his brow and he felt giddy with fear. He had been told not to look to his left – and a part of him was glad to carry out this order – but another part of him wanted to look, wanted to see that his mother was alright… 'Why does she not want me to look?' he wondered. His eyes could not help but creep a little to the left. He saw the vast quantity of the blood and immediately turned his head away again.

"Do not turn around" she ordered again, a little harder this time.

At the base of the trunk, Anié sat, her back against the tree, the spear – which had its tip buried in the trunk's flesh - holding her firmly in place. The spear pierced her left side, narrowly missing her spine. She was covered in blood, both around the wound (which was bleeding profusely) and in her mouth. She coughed, gargled as more blood came up her throat and gasped loudly as pain swept through her once again. She hissed through her teeth, trying to nurse the unbearable pain. Eledrin clenched his eyes shut again – he couldn't cope with this.

"Mother…" he said (if it could be called speech) through his choked voice.

"Go back to the Palace" she ordered, calmly and quietly.

"Get help. Call the Doctor, quickly. Tell … tell your father…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, she was too weak and the pain was too great. His eyes still shut, he nodded his head frantically and ran back to the Palace as fast he could. He felt sick, his heart was thumping, his head was swimming, he was sweating, his hands were shaking, his skin was pale and it was entirely his fault. He had never run so fast in all his life. He never stopped, he spoke to no-one, he ran with a purpose and he ran straight to Legolas.

He burst into his father's room, his face white, eyes wide and frantic. His father was sitting on the edge of his bed, resting and nursing his leg (which was already looking better). Legolas' head suddenly snapped up as his son burst into the room.

"_ADA!_" he cried as the door swung open.

Before Legolas realised it, Eledrin has kneeling at his father's feet, his hands clasping his father's. Before Eledrin said a single word, Legolas knew that something was desperately wrong…

Eledrin spoke uncontrollably, clearly showing his panic and urgency:

"_Ada_! You must come, quickly … there's been an accident, a terrible accident … Mother, she's bleeding, _Ada_ … there's so much blood…"

"Calm yourself, Eledrin" Legolas instructed, who had started to become concerned.

"Speak plainly – tell me what's happened".

Eledrin swallowed and took a quick deep breath before he spoke again, still clutching his father as if he would fall if he did not:

"They were lacking reinforcements, _Ada _… I only went out to help … I went to fight, but Mother was there, and she saved me, she was amazing, _Ada_ … she's hurt, _Ada_ … she was speared, _Ada_, a rider rode towards me, but she saved me and she took the spear … she's in the forest, we must go save her!"

Legolas' face was empty, yet inside his heart had frozen with fear. His eyes strayed as he pictured his injured wife, crying out to him. He knew in his heart that something terrible had happened to Anié, even before he was told.

"Where are the healers?" Legolas asked, looking down at his son.

Eledrin looked at him a little blankly.

"The healers…" he started.

"I … I haven't … we have to…"

Suddenly, he tightly clutched his son's shoulder:

"Listen to me very carefully: you will go immediately to the healers. Tell them that Anié is seriously injured and that they are to follow you with all haste. You will take them directly to her. Do you understand?"

Eledrin frantically nodded his head.

"Go" commanded his father.

Eledrin, once again, ran off. For a moment, he was surprised that his father was not angry with him, but there was no time to think about that now. Legolas hoisted himself up and grabbed a walking stick that had been given to him by the healers to help him walk while his leg was still healing that was propped up against the wall. Silently and alone, he left his room in search of his wife.

Eledrin executed his father's orders exactly and very soon, the healers were trekking through the forest as quickly as they could with as much equipment as they could bring with them swiftly. As soon as they came within sight of Anié, they moved forward and saw to her, keeping her as comfortable as possible. Eledrin noticed that his father was already there by Anié's side, speaking soothing words of comfort that were inaudible to all save the couple. As he spoke to her, her eyes (with what little strength they had left) lifted and met her son's. They were fixed, nothing else around them seemed to exist. Legolas noticed the link and turned to see Eledrin. Legolas' eyes were dark and showed no sympathetic emotion towards his son.

"Go back to the Palace" ordered his Father.

Although his father did not say it, Eledrin knew he was to stay there. Lingering for a brief moment, still in shock after seeing his mother so brutally injured and wishing in vain that there was some way in which he could help, he turned his back and returned to the castle. Upon doing so, he went straight to his room and shut the door, sitting alone in darkness, in silence and without a single thought in his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Hours passed in the silence and horrid metaphoric darkness of his bedroom and Eledrin heard nothing of his parents. Anything could have happened – she could be fine and healed, though that was unlikely. Just as likely was that she was already…

Cold sweat still lined the very top of his brow and he could do nothing to distract himself without turning his thoughts back to his dying mother and – although he hadn't openly admitted it yet – his strong, underlying guilt.

At one point, he plucked up the courage to walk slowly and hesitantly towards the healing houses to see what news he could discover (though in his heart, he knew not whether it was the truth he wanted to see). Occasionally, he would pass a soldier or two on the way and he would avert his eyes, for the last thing Eledrin wanted was conversation and they looked at him with solemn faces – rumours were undoubtedly spreading.

As he reached the entrance to where he knew his mother would be, he was half tempted to turn back – would his presence really be wanted? However, after much self-questioning, he walked down the long corridor, looking from side to side through the curtains and gaps to try and find his mother. None of the other healers seem to acknowledge or care about his being there – they were far too busy dealing with other patients, some not unlike Eledrin's mother. After a minute or so, he thought he may have perhaps come to the wrong place and maybe his mother wasn't there after all. An unexplainable silent wave of relief briefly rippled through him.

But this was not so. As he approached the very end of the healing corridor, he stopped in his tracks as he saw her. In fact, he couldn't see her very much as she was surrounded by people and a curtain, but he certainly saw his father standing by her side. He could not hear their speech, so he just stood there and watched. He knew in his heart that if he saw the wound or anything else gruesome, he would probably gag or make a noise (his stomach churned at the thought), but as he saw one of the doctor's bloody hands, he was torn between being terrified and ready to run at any moment, and being fixed to the spot and not wanted to leave his mother.

As it happened, he saw nothing of Anié's wound and eventually they moved Anié's bed to another room. Eledrin was confused – why were they taking her away? Where was she going? A room of her own where she could rest? An operation room? A mortuary? Was it a good thing or a very, very bad thing that they were moving her?

Eledrin had no time to have any of these questions, however, as he realised to his horror that Legolas was not staying with her and had started walking straight towards him. Praying he had not been seen, he sprinted straight out of the nursing corridor and darted back to his own room, shutting the door tightly and quickly behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed, trying to remain calm and to still the frantic beating of his heart to appear as though he had never left the room.

With his eyes fixed on the floor and his mind concentrating on his breathing, he expected his door to open at any moment and his father to walk in. It was terrifying, his head and his sanity were spinning wildly out of control. Reality had well and truly set in and he was on the verge of begging to change what had happened, for some sort of escape route of this horrible, dreadful situation.

It was only a matter of seconds before there was a noise at the door and Legolas appeared in the doorway. As Legolas entered and shut the door behind him, time and reality both stopped completely; all that existed then and there was Eledrin, Legolas and the knowledge that somewhere, his mother was under the doctor's care – that was all he knew.

The silence was deafening.

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened" Legolas said with a quietness and a stillness that terrified Eledrin as his father stood over him.

Eledrin told his tale of how he had heard that reinforcements were needed and he had taken his opportunity to help and serve on the battlefield; how he was fighting well until the troll creature arrived and how Anié had stepped in to defeat it when he could not (Eledrin did not fail at this point to compliment on his mother's fighting, which he was still stunned at); he described the sudden arrival of the mysterious rider, the spear and how Anié was injured by saving his life. Eledrin was still haunted and traumatised by what he had witnessed that day but he had to relive everything to his father, every detail. As he finished, all was once again silent and Eledrin did not dare lift his eyes to his father, who had not moved or spoken throughout the entire telling.

"How is she?" Eledrin braved to ask.

But Legolas did not give a response – instead, he opened the door, called one of the guards and ordered a scout party to go out immediately to search for a darkly-clothed rider on horseback. As soon as the guard left, Legolas shut the door again.

He remained motionless as he said: "Give me your blades".

Eledrin's eyes widened a little as he realised what was being asked of him, but nonetheless immediately brought his swords out from underneath his bed and handed them to his father. As Legolas took them, he pulled one gently half-way out of its scabbard and allowed what little light was in the room to shine and glint from the metal. He could see hints of blood left on the blade.

"I suppose I should congratulate you", he said abruptly in a tone of voice that Eledrin could not describe, "the men said you fought well today".

Given the circumstances and the simple fact that it seemed totally wrong to be complimenting him at that precise moment, Eledrin could not bring himself to say anything – certainly not of recognition or any words of agreement.

Upon hearing no response from the (semi-expected) silence, Legolas turned his head suddenly to the side to face his son:

"Well, you want to act like a soldier, so you should start being treated like one".

Eledrin wished his father would stop speaking so – every word he said crushed him inside. He had let everyone down – he was only been trying to do good, and by doing so he had ruined everything. Above all, he was simply desperate to know how Anié was, to know if she was even still alive; he did not know what he would do with himself (or what his father would do to him) if the worst had happened…

In a harsher tone (though refraining from shouting), he said: "How dare you disobey your orders. You were told to stay here where you were safe – you have betrayed both your mother and me".

Eledrin hung his head – he didn't dare face his father and he felt like he could burst into tears at any moment.

Legolas continued: "If any of our soldiers had done what you did today, they would have been immediately banished or executed".

A terrible fear ran through Eledrin's veins – if Legolas was trying to scare his son with possible punishments, he was certainly succeeding. Would his father do that to him? He was pretty sure Thranduil certainly would – despite the fact that he was his grandfather, Thranduil still secretly terrified the young Elf.

A culmination of strong emotions began to get the better of Legolas: "You risked both her life and your own – do you not realise that you could have been killed?! Would you put other people's lives on the line just for you?!"

Eledrin could have screamed but he could say naught. Legolas took both blades in one hand and stated clearly:

"You will not get these back until you have earned my trust and you have learnt to obey orders".

This saddened Eledrin greatly – his blades were very precious to him – but he accepted his punishment willingly, for he was certainly in no position to complain or protest. With that, after allowing the silence to fall, Legolas turned his back on his son and headed for the door.

In an act of desperation rather than bravery, Eledrin suddenly blurted out the question most deeply engraved in his mind and heart:

"May I see her?"

He was terrified of asking the question and terrified of what the answer and end result might be, but he had to know. Legolas stopped in his tracks, one hand still on the edge of the door, his face turned away from his son.

"Please" Eledrin begged exasperatedly, "do not hate me, Father. I have to know if she is alright".

In his mind, he knew his words were empty – of course his mother wasn't alright, far from it. The silence boomed in Eledrin's ears, his eyes almost piercing the back of his father's skull, desperate for an answer.

Some may have confused it for anger or some sort of revenge, but when Legolas did not give a response and simply left the door to shut itself behind him as he walked away, it was purely because Legolas did not know what to do. Legolas did not hate his son, but to allow or to forbid Eledrin from seeing his mother for the time being was not his choice to make.


	9. Chapter 9

Anié had been moved to a special room where she would be by herself and out of sight. As Legolas returned to the healing wards after speaking with his son, anyone who passed by and saw him could see only a grave expression on the face of the doctor and the occasional nod of the Prince's head as his eyes grew deeper with thought. Any grief or fear was, for the moment, locked away in the Prince's heart. No words could be heard from their conversation.

Eledrin remained in his room, silent, alone and in grave torment – he had done enough being brave for one day, he didn't want to cause any more trouble and he certainly didn't want to be seen or spoken to by anybody. His desire and almost desperate need to see that his mother was alright (or not), however, overpowered all other thoughts and emotions. Eventually, after much time spent in thought so one could not accuse him of acting rashly, he rose slowly from his bed and silently left his room. He knew where his mother would be.

He walked purposefully and with sound along the corridors of the Palace of Mirkwood, avoiding all eye contact with anyone he passed, and gradually drew near the healing wards. Upon approaching, he felt his pace slow – what if his mother was undergoing an operation? What if Legolas was there? He prayed to not yet have another confrontation with his father. What if she did not wish to see him? So many 'what if's entered his mind, yet he forced himself to shun them all – this is what he wanted. Although maybe, he thought, he should stop acting upon what he wanted, as look where that got him today…

Walking through the healing wards, he passed many rooms where injured men often lay, and occasionally he saw one or two, but to his fortune, he passed no doctors so there was no eye contact or conversation to be avoided. He peered around every corner before walking round it to check for the presence of his father, but there was no sign of him. Eventually, he arrived at the room where he remembered Anié _had_ been and he could see the door through which Anié had been led. Everything was so quiet and still, something in Eledrin's heart told him he had come to the right place.

His heart was beating at a thundering pace, making the blood pound in his ears and his hands shake, but he couldn't turn back now. He just prayed – and it was a strong possibility – that Legolas wasn't in there with her.

He walked cautiously through the room, his eyes fixed on the door – the rest of reality almost seemed not to exist. Before he fully realised it, he had reached the door and had placed his hand on the door knob as if to open it. First he carefully pressed his ear to the door to hear for any kind of conversation or movement that would indicate that someone was inside … no sound. He couldn't quite decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing (he still wasn't entirely certain that Anié was still in this room) but he breathed deeply and very slowly and as quietly as possible, opened the door.

The first thing he noticed was that the room was dark - not pitch black but with a little less light than in the main ward. The next thing he noticed was just how quiet it was, and how the room seemed to be almost empty. But it was not empty, for at the back of the room (adjacent to the door) was a table covered in medical equipment, further into the room was a single chair upon which sat a cloth and a bowl of water, and in the middle of the room was a bed; on that bed was a seemingly lifeless individual, covered up to the shoulders in a large white cloth. Eledrin recognised the figure at once; he looked over his shoulder to make sure no-one was watching him, and then he took an extra step inside and shut the door behind him.

He felt more secure now that he could not be seen from the outside, he felt alone, but he was still afraid and feared still what he may discover. Turning to the bed upon which his mother lay, silent and motionless, he watched her carefully for a few moments from a distance to try and discern any signs of life – her eyes were closed, she did not react or move as he entered the room, but he could just see the occasional rise and fall of her chest as she took very slow, very shallow breaths. Her breathing was so slow to Eledrin, it took real observation to notice that she was breathing at all.

Eledrin advanced slowly towards her, step by step, his eyes never leaving her face. As he came close to the bed, looking down on his father, he inhaled to gently call her name, but then doubt gnawed away at him in his mind – should she be disturbed? Would he cause more trouble and more damage by doing so? Maybe it would be better if he left her to her rest, he could at least be with her name and just sit with her?

Eledrin didn't know what was best, though it was a point that he took into consideration, so he simply placed his hand on hers, which was sticking out of the side of the bed, and gripped it gently. As she was sleeping (or unconscious, Eledrin knew not which), Eledrin carefully took hold of the edge of the cloth with his free hand and lifted it up. As her body came into view, his eyes were immediately drawn to the large bandage wrapped around her waist…and the scarlet marks that adorned it. Eledrin could only look at it for a moment before images of the accident and remembering seeing his mother impaled to the tree horrified him and forced him to replace the cloth.

As he did so, his eyes fixed to the floor as he battled with himself mentally for a moment, Anié stirred – she took a deeper intake of breath and her eyes slowly began to open. As soon as Eledrin realised that she was waking up, his eyes remained fixed on her and he sat still and upright as though a bolt of lightening had shot through him – he hadn't meant to wake her up. He did not move, and neither did his mother (except for the occasional blinking of her eyes). All was deadly silent.

It took a few seconds for her to become fully conscious and even though her eyes were open, her mind was still a little bit hazy; her senses told her that she was not alone in the room, but she had not yet turned to see who it was, so she assumed it was the doctor. She gently called out his name for recognition. Eledrin swallowed hard.

"No" he answered quietly (he felt as though his voice had taken on a will of its own, as his mind seemed too paralysed with fear to function properly), "it's me, Eledrin, your son".

Her vision became more focused and she immersed herself into reality once more. Once her thoughts became more aligned, she realised that the presence that she thought was the doctor had replied with another identity. She heard the name of her son and she remembered.

She blinked once again and slowly turned her head sideways towards where the voice had come from. Sitting by the side of the bed was her son, her belovéd son whose life she had laid on the line to save. Eledrin had no idea what emotions or thoughts were running through her mind as she saw him for the first time since what had happened.

Eledrin couldn't simply sit there as the pair stared at each other; her eyes penetrated into his soul and seeing the inner suffering within them was agony for Eledrin:

"Do you remember me?" he asked, using all the power he had to stop his voice from quivering.

"Do you know who I am?"

From what little medical knowledge he had, he knew that sometimes after major accidents or shocks, victims can suffer from memory loss. However, this tends to only apply to those who have suffered head injuries, so Anié – for whom speech required effort – gave a simple, single nod of her head, her eyes not leaving his. Eledrin was pleased with this, but then realised what a stupid question it was (or at least sounded):

"Of course you do, how foolish of me…" he stammered.

After a brief pause of reflecting on the word 'foolish', he continued:

"How foolish…how foolish I was…I…how are you? I mean…I had to see you, to know you were…well, I… I'm sorry…I mean, I…I don't know what to say…"

He couldn't believe how absurd he sounded; he had so many thoughts and questions in his head that he couldn't even string a sentence together. He sighed as a sign of failure and bowed his head, still holding her hand. Anié continued to simply watch him.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked eventually, with as much calmness as he could muster.

"What can I say that would make this better? I can't change what's happened, I know, it was stupid and I'm sorry. I didn't see the rider and I didn't know…I could never have known…I just wanted…"

He stopped himself again before he churned out any more endless babble as his mind tried to formulate all his thoughts into a coherent sentence, and certainly before he tried to defend himself and his actions; although he dearly wanted to, it would be a horrendous notion to try and do so before Anié since she was so badly injured for his sake. When she healed from her injury, yes, perhaps…_if_…

Anié simply listened.

"I can't even say I'm sorry…" he muttered sadly, and on an equally sad note, he finished: "No-one was telling me anything, so I just came to see how you were, that's all".

From that moment on, he couldn't think of a single thing to say – anything that came to his mind was either inappropriate given the circumstances (such as trying to defend or feeling sorry for himself) and was simply not worth it, as it would serve no useful purpose in saying it. He also found that he couldn't look her in the eye anymore.

"I just wanted to say I was sorry" he said finally.

In that moment, after having said everything he could possibly have said, for the first time in his life and with little shame, only open honesty and humility, he burst into tears, his shoulders and chest heaving as he did so. He was so full of guilt for his acts and admiration for his mother's ultimate sacrifice; he couldn't stop and he couldn't control himself, his heart simply crumbled before his suffering mother. He wept openly and loudly for everyone to hear, first placing his hands on his face, then his face on the bed.

Anié's eyes never left him, nor did she say a word – in all honesty, she too could not think of what to say. Although she was very weak and still in pain, she did feel sorry for her son, because she knew he was honestly repentant.

Looking over Eledrin's shoulder, a figure watched them both. For the first time since her son had entered the room, Anié's eyes moved from her son to her husband, standing silent and still in the doorway, like a brooding shadow. Their eyes met, they held each other's gaze and neither said a word, nor did either of them know what the future would bring.

Despite his horrendous act of stupidity and pride, and the terrible consequences he had brought upon all three of them, even though trust and relationships had been damaged and now brought under heavy scrutiny, there was nevertheless still love.

**~ END ~**


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